FISA: Deal or No Deal?

Here in Washington, rumors are swirling about a deal on FISA being brokered by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Ranking Intelligence Committee Member Senator Kit Bond. We're taking the news to heart and getting ready for the other shoe to drop in this saga. Letting the Protect America Act expire in February was a brave act and since then the House has continued to do the right thing by doing nothing. Now with a Hoyer/Bond deal about to drop and news that Senate Intel Chairman Jay Rockefeller is floating his own proposal, we're getting back into the trenches.

It should be clear that deal that's being worked out and ultimately agreed upon by Bond and Hoyer will be likely very, very close to the unconstitutional bill passed by the Senate in February. Since it's implied that Bond is speaking for the White House - as he has throughout this process - the proposal will likely include attempts to soften the idea of blanket immunity for the telecoms by allowing the FISA court to determine whether cases can go forward. Bad idea.

The entire reason these cases were brought against the telecoms was so that the plaintiffs - and the American public - would have a better understanding of how and why the administration decided to circumvent the law when no one was looking. A secret court picked by the conservative-leaning Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Roberts, does not exactly give the impression of transparent government or due process.

We'll let you know more when we do. Until then, these are our three tenets:

No on secret FISA court proceedings.

No on letting telecoms off the hook for their intentions instead of their actions.

No on depriving any court from determining whether FISA and other privacy statutes were actually violated.Learn them, love them, and stand behind them by telling your House member to stop compromising with President Bush, and start defending the Constitution.

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Anonymous

If te government is not spying on Americans than why am i being illegally wiretapped?If any one will help contact me at jouellete@yahoo.com

May 20, 2008

3:12 PM

Anonymous

If americans are not being spyied on Than why am i being illegally wirewtapped?If anyone will help contact me at jouellete@yahoo.com

May 20, 2008

3:14 PM

Anonymous

if americans are not being illegally wiretapped than why am i being wiretapped here in Malvern Arkansas?

May 20, 2008

3:16 PM

Anonymous

How come the minority whip, John Boehner can sue for almost $2 million dollars for being wire tapped but will fight tooth and nail against ordinary citizens having the same right. This should be put in an ad and plastered over tv radio and the internet 24/7 until they give up on immunity for telecoms.

May 21, 2008

12:16 AM

Susan Hayward

Our government isn't satisfied with just wiretapping in my case. They tore down a wall in my attic to gain access to my electrical power, ran new coax cable to monitor my tv viewing, and had an agent posing as a substitute school teacher move in next door. This woman goes out of her way to annoy me by sitting outside my condo at all hours trying to instigate confrontation. They have broken into my unit on several occassions to monkey with phone, internet and television wires. They can tell when I'm not home because they monitor my doctor appointments from the phone tapping. I could care less about these people because I am doing nothing wrong, but they publish everything to a list of unknowns. These people are sick and our elected officials know fully what is happening to me. They can hijack satellite and cable connections to your tv and watch you. I'm dead serious about this intrusion. May God help me to withstand the harrassment. They already pushed me to the point of a nervous breakdown with targeted comments from the media, who are all involved. Watch out for your privacy, because this is being allowed by our country. I spoke out to the FDA about children being poisoned by a drug called Lupron. Now I live in a fishbowl until somebody decides it's illegal.